After freerunning, let’s recognise these sports… – Telegraph.co.uk

Parkour, or freerunning, is now officially recognised in the UK as a sport. This is the activity where participants set out to alarm spectators by vaulting over improbable obstacles and bounding from rooftop to rooftop.

The recognition of parkour is encouraging news for those of us who enjoy the sport of conifer hurdling, which consists of dashing up a street and jumping over all the abandoned Christmas trees left out on the pavement. Our short season reaches its climax with the all-England finals on Thursday.

The favourite to win, for the second year running, is Mrs Ivy Watson, 47, of Hungerford. She holds the all-comers’ record, at four minutes and 39 seconds, wind-assisted and carrying two Sainsbury’s shopping bags. Her main rival, “Wily” Bill Wilkinson, has had to pull out with multiple pine-needle injuries after attempting a three-tree leap in the quarter finals. If conifer hurdling…